An unpolished gem

Mount Washington's Grandview Avenue is a diamond in the rough. I would like to seize this opportunity to ask our mayor, City Council and city planners, "Where do visitors to our city go for sightseeing?"

For that answer all you have to do is look in the visitors book in the 24-hour chapel at St. Mary of the Mount Church on Grandview Avenue. They come from all over the world to see the most beautiful view from the "saddest avenue" (Grandview Avenue) in the city.

Look at the boroughs of Dormont, Carnegie, Millvale, etc. that have elegant lampposts (some with welcome signs hanging from them). Not Grandview Avenue!

The city should be worried about more than the eyesore of the former Edge Restaurant ("City Hopes to Fix Mount Washington Eyesore Before G-20," July 14). That's so sad! Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent by Councilman Alan Hertzberg, who formerly represented our area, but all of the money went into the West End Overlook. Today, the overlook is pitiful!

Our gorgeous setting -- the three rivers, the Point and our inclines, coupled with the view from Grandview Avenue -- has caught the attention of not only the country, but also the world. Should not the most beautiful view be viewed from the "grandest avenue"?

The G-20 summit will draw leaders from all over the world in a matter of weeks. Isn't anyone ashamed?

SIS MERRIMAN
Mount Washington